Mucinous adenomas produce mucus and can appear in various organs, including the pancreas, kidneys, appendix, uterus, ovaries, bile ducts, and lungs. They can cause blockages and require surgical removal. Some may be borderline cancerous and require biopsy for confirmation.
Mucinous adenomas are a type of tumor that produces and secretes mucus. While they’re typically benign, they’re often removed, as they can interfere with the healthy functioning of the organs they attach to. Additionally, they can spread to displace other organs in the abdomen and become gangrenous or septic, making them very dangerous. A mucinous adenoma may also include cystic structures that calcify. In most cases, a mucinous adenoma will be surgically biopsied when found, as most imaging and ultrasound tests are somewhat inconclusive about malignant tumors.
Two areas where a mucinous adenoma can appear are the pancreas and the kidneys. Because these organs are adjacent, the origin of a large mucinous adenoma can be difficult to determine until surgery can identify it. Pancreatic adenomas often have cystic structures within them that can calcify, but some mucinous adenomas are considered borderline cancerous, even showing some cellular dysplasia. When attached to the back of a kidney, mucinous adenoma displays its constant secretion of mucus and can block the ducts within the kidney, requiring immediate removal.
Epithelial tissue of the appendix may also develop a mucinous adenoma and protrude or spread flat due to compression, causing calcification of the appendix wall. These are rare tumors. This type of adenoma can shed cells in the abdominal region, which can attach to the outer layers of other organs to house more colonies. Such mucinous adenomas can produce enough mucus to distend the belly, which can be referred to as a “jelly belly.” Adenomas in the peritoneal region of the abdomen can cause quite thick mucus to die off.
A mucinous adenoma can also grow on the uterine wall near the cervix and fill the uterus with mucus. This type of lesional adenoma is nearly impossible to differentiate from endocervical cancer of the cervix and, for this reason, usually requires a surgical biopsy to confirm whether it is malignant. Another rare occurrence is a mucinous adenoma that appears on the ovaries of premenopausal women. Cases have been reported in adolescents of these adenomas growing very quickly and distended the abdominal regions, requiring immediate removal.
Other areas where mucinous adenomas might appear are in the bile ducts and lung glands. In mucin-secreting bile duct adenomas, this can lead to jaundice, as mucus blocks the ducts. In the lungs, mucinous adenomas have been found in the glands of the hilar region near the bronchi. They are also rarely found in the trachea above the bronchi. These feature a smooth, spherical shape in most cases.
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